


Victorious

by TenSpencerRiedPlease



Series: Back in Black [4]
Category: Black Panther (2018), Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Humor, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Parent T'Challa (Marvel), Parent Tony Stark, Parent-Child Relationship, Protective T'Challa (Marvel), and i am going to hate myself in the morning for it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-28 03:50:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13895619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TenSpencerRiedPlease/pseuds/TenSpencerRiedPlease
Summary: Tony looks over at the list of things T’Challa resent to him over emailandin the mail and sighs. “Do not sigh at me Tony, Jakarra is to be a king and he is still a spoiled brat. Don’t tell him I said that,” he adds, probably sensing the unimpressed look Tony just gave the phone.





	Victorious

Tony looks over at the list of things T’Challa resent to him over email _and_ in the mail and sighs. “Do not sigh at me Tony, Jakarra is to be a king and he is still a spoiled brat. Don’t tell him I said that,” he adds, probably sensing the unimpressed look Tony just gave the phone.

“He’s barely sixteen T’Challa, all teenagers are basically little sociopaths,” he says.

“That is a gross misuse of a psychological term for one. And two, if Jakarra ends up king when I did and he has not matured this country will not survive,” T’Challa says, a little panicked.

“Do you plan on dying in less than ten years? Because I’d really like to know,” Tony says.

T’Challa sighs, “of course not, but neither did my father. He needs to be prepared so _please_ follow that list.” He gives T’Challa’s painstakingly thought out list another forlorn look before he leans forward and pushes it off the edge of his bed and into the trash. T’Challa must hear it because he sighs again. “You just pushed that list into the trash, didn’t you?” he asks.

“Yes, and not because I’m not hearing your worries either. Jakarra and I have a lot in common, especially at that age so honestly we should be lucky he isn’t driving cars into pools and snorting coke off hooker’s-”

“Yes, I am aware of your past, Tony,” T’Challa tells him.

“Exactly, so we should be happy that he’s not more like me. Point is he’s enough like me that throwing a list in his face and telling him those are the guidelines to how to live his life is only going to make him laugh in your face, read the entire thing, and then do the opposite of it. Maybe if you just let the kid live he’ll actually learn,” he says. And being in America was going to be a wakeup call whether Jakarra wanted one or not.

Things were not the same as Wakanda and he wouldn’t get that automatic respect here. People wouldn’t be likely to recognize him on sight, and they wouldn’t have the same cultural values that would give Jakarra a distinct level of privilege. He’s already experienced it and, thanks to his unshakable confidence at the moment, it didn’t faze him much but it would sink in eventually. It’ll take awhile because Jakarra was stubborn, but it would happen.

“Do you really think this will help?” T’Challa asks softly.

“I know it will. Yesterday he had a teacher ask what his last name was- being Wakandan he doesn’t have one obviously- and instead of accepting that the teacher wrote ‘Stark’ in,” he says.

T’Challa makes an offended noise, which makes sense given that it was his traditions that just got insulted, but when he speaks he misses the point. “That is just disrespectful! I hope you called the school,” he says, clearly irritated with this.

Tony sighs, “yeah, obviously I called the school and told them that unless Jakarra was married he wasn’t about to have a last name, I already ha this battle enrolling him. But that wasn’t the point,” he says.

“Good. I can’t believe that actually happened and I fail to see why you think this is important,” T’Challa tells him.

“The point is the disrespect you pointed out. Jakarra is a prince, you think anyone in Wakanda ever treated him like that?” Tony asks. The skeptical snort T’Challa gives him in response proves his point. “Exactly my point- in Wakanda he only had so much room to grow when people were always bending over to kiss his ass. America doesn’t give a shit and it’ll make him grow up real fast. Any place that doesn’t automatically bend over to kiss your ass will do that.” God knew he went through that with Wakanda. Rhodey talked about how people just did whatever he wanted but he had never really taken that seriously until he dealt with Wakanda. Damn were people _really_ unimpressed with his mere _presence_ in the country no matter how accommodating he was to them and their customs. It was better now, but it was a sobering experience. Made him happy he didn’t have to deal with that everywhere.

“I certainly hope so. I love my son, I do, but right now he will not make a good king. Or even a good court member. Don’t tell him I said that,” T’Challa adds and Tony snorts. Like he’d ever tell Jakarra T’Challa didn’t have faith in him. Truthfully he didn’t need to, it was obvious and the only reason Jakarra didn’t notice was because he was too wrapped up in his own mind. Tony knew that well- he’s been there himself, but T’Challa has been worried that his son would make a terrible king since he was like five. What he was really worried about, Tony thinks, was that he was a bad father and that he was failing his son but he didn’t seem willing to say that out loud.

“I disagree with him making a bad court member, he’d shake things up a little,” Tony says, snickering as he stands up and leaves his lab. Wakanda’s politics weren’t as stuffy as America’s but they were just as boring, which was half the reason Jakarra had no interest. That drove T’Challa up the wall but Tony thought it was healthy to let him explore things outside of where his entire adult life was going to be. Jakarra thought he was the fun parent but Tony just knew the damage you could do to a kid by shoving them into something they had no interest in and telling them they were worthless if they didn’t do what you wanted.

T’Challa would never dream of doing that second bit the way Howard had, but he did seem intent on doing his best to groom Jakarra to his standards and got annoyed when Jakarra… well, was his own person essentially. T’Challa seemed to think that because he and his father got along well and bonded over politics that he and Jakarra would do the same. The result was him accidentally pushing his kid away while Tony got labeled the fun one mostly because he didn’t try and shove Jakarra into politics and laughed at his jokes. T’Challa claimed he wasn’t good at discipline but that was mostly because he felt no need to punish Jakarra for not being the perfect politician’s kid. It’s led to too many disagreements.

“Honestly that is what I am afraid of,” T’Challa tells him as he walks into the living room finding Jakarra staring at a history textbook in confusion. Ned and Peter look just as confused with their own books in front of them.

“This text book is biphobic,” Jakarra says, pushing the book away from him in distaste.

Ned and Peter look surprised, “really?” Peter asks, looking at Jakarra’s discarded text. “How?”

Jakarra gives the textbook an annoyed look, “because that stupid thing is inconveniencing me, a bisexual,” he says.

Ned and Peter burst out laughing and Tony lets out a long sigh. “I take back everything I just said,” he tells T’Challa.

“This book is also transphobic then,” Peter says, dropping his book on top of Jakarra’s.

“And racist,” Ned says, adding his book to the pile and then frowning, “wait…”

“Did I just hear my son say a textbook was an oppressive force against his sexuality because it _inconvenienced him_?” T’Challa asks, tone indicating exactly what he thought of _that_.

Tony nods, forgetting that T’Challa couldn’t see it. “Yeah, you heard right,” he says and T’Challa lets out a long sigh.

“Read that list,” he tells Tony.

*

When Tony sees T’Challa the first thing he does is ask about that damn list. Tony sighs, “can I at least get a kiss first?” he asks.

Nakia laughs, “you have _no_ idea how amusing this is to watch after his exploits as a teen. People were _not_ happy when we started dating but if I recall correctly, and I do, T’Challa essentially told the entire country to fuck off.”

Tony lets out a loud snort, “bet they were wishing he stayed with you when I came around,” he says and Nakia nods.

“I got a lot of that,” she says, looking pleased with this and Tony didn’t blame her. If she got half the shit he did her pride was well earned. Though people didn’t seem fond that one of T’Challa’s most trusted friends was also dating an American not that Rhodey gave a damn. He was always on about dating an angel while Tony resisted the urge to barf in the nearest corner. To be fair Nakia did possess an unearthly amount of beauty, but Tony didn’t need to hear about it non-stop when he had functioning eyes.

“Stop bonding over my stupid choices as a young man and _please_ tell me you read the list,” T’Challa says. He looks a little desperate too and Tony sighs, reaching out and threading his fingers through T’Challa’s.

“Yes,” he says and T’Challa visibly relaxes. “I threw it back out,” he says and T’Challa’s eyes practically bug out of his head.

“ _Tony_!” he says, desperation high in his voice.

“T’Challa, your list won’t work and what trouble could he possibly get in to?” Tony reasons.

Jakarra choses then to burst through the door looking slightly harassed and excited, which Tony knows is going to end in disaster but he holds out hope that his child has not done something wild and absurd like he thinks he did. “Oh, hey Tata. I have decided to run for class president,” he says brightly.

Tony turns to T’Challa and smiles, “that’s great!” he says more to T’Challa than Jakarra. Now he just hoped whatever Jakarra said next wasn’t about to ruin the moment like Tony was _sure_ it would.

“Yeah, the fact that we’re expected to do like six hours of homework a night is absolutely ridiculous,” he says, walking off before he can see T’Challa balk. Nakia winces and looks at Rhodey, who was already looking at Tony because he was correctly anticipating a defense for Jakarra.

“Its an interest in politics,” Tony says, playing right into Rhodey’s expectations.

“Because he doesn’t want to do his _homework_ ,” T’Challa hisses softly, not wanting Jakarra to hear him.

He sighs, “and he makes a good point. Kids sit in classrooms for like seven hours a day, barely get time between classes, and they’re expected to hold part time jobs _and_ do some sort of extracurricular activity. Plus they have to ask to pee- its unfair to ask them to do _that_ much homework,” he says. Sure Jakarra’s intentions probably were only to secure more free time for himself but it wasn’t like his observation was useless.

T’Challa squints, “they have to ask to use the bathroom?” he asks.

Tony raises an eyebrow, “apparently they don’t do that in Wakanda,” he mumbles. Nakia’s confusion confirms it.

“No, that is absurd,” T’Challa says eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

“And get this,” Jakarra adds from the doorway, “we are supposed to use our measly time between classes to eat or drink, which means that it will take time before we need to use the bathroom because we don’t immediately digest things but we get in trouble when we have to go twenty minutes into class. Apparently America doesn’t understand biology,” Jakarra says, rolling his eyes.

Tony grins, sure that he could further his child’s class president agenda while also pissing off half the country. Nothing would get Jakarra into politics faster than pissing people off and that’s what T’Challa wanted, wasn’t it? “Have you learned about abstinence only sex education yet? You should look into what your school actually teaches, and even they’re more… liberal I doubt they teach much on same sex relationships,” he tells Jakarra, who looks offended at the suggestion that what he was saying was real.

“Is that a _real_ thing?” he asks. Tony nods and Jakarra makes an offended noise, “this country has _problems_ , I will ask Peter about it.”

“Bring _that_ up and you’re guaranteed to piss people off,” Tony tells him. He’s rewarded with a pleased look from Jakarra right before he turns and all but runs off to wherever he left his phone.

Nakia starts laughing first but Rhodey is quick to follow. T’Challa, however, looks unimpressed. “All this work you did to try and get him to show an interest in politics and Tony manages in _seconds_ ,” Nakia says, shaking her head.

“How did you do that?” T’Challa asks and Tony shrugs.

“He’s a natural leader, but you kept trying to push him into it and he’s the type to resist that kind of thing. So I let him do what he wanted and walk into a leadership role on his own. Then gave him some ideas of a platform and let him think it was his own idea. My mom used to do the same thing with me and it always worked better than Howard’s methods.” That and Jakarra’s first answer to the question ‘what motivates you’ was always spite and pissing people off was more of a favored past time to Jakarra than Tony and that was saying something.

T’Challa gives Tony an annoyed look, “did you just compare me to your _father_?” he asks.

“Without all the abusive bits yeah, stop trying to get Jakarra to do what you want, it’s not going to work. At least if he thinks you’re the one calling the shots- give him some space and he’ll realize you’re right anyways. Trust me,” he says. Considering it just worked he figured his thoughts on the subject were good. Tony never really considered that he’d be the parent that worked better with their kid but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying it. T’Challa was good at everything- like Tony to an extreme and Tony _was_ an extreme. So it was a bit surprising to find that he ended up the parent that could get through to their kid better but hey, he’d take it.

Rhodey grins at Nakia, “you owe me fifty bucks,” he says, laughing.

Tony and T’Challa exchange a look and turn back to Rhodey and Nakia, “you made a bet? On _what_?” Tony asks.

“Which parent could finally get Jakarra to stop acting like a wild child and letting rhinos loose,” Rhodey says. “And like the loyal best friend that I am I voted you’d do it.”

Nakia sighs, “and like the loyal best friend that I am I voted you would,” Nakia tells T’Challa.

“Well the good news is that no one has won the bet, I like being wild but I will leave the rhinos be. I dislike rhino shit- so dad, explain everything that is wrong with the American education system,” Jakarra says, clicking a ballpoint pen and holding a notepad.

Tony and T’Challa exchange another look because Jakarra was clearly wrong but neither of them were willing to ruin it by telling him that. Tony smiles at T’Challa, who still looks unimpressed. “Cheer up honey, he’s invested in politics,” Tony tells him cheerfully.

T’Challa sighs, “I am impressed. Deep inside. Somewhere.” Tony laughs and pulls T’Challa in for a kiss, knowing that he was only annoyed because Tony achieved what he had tried to do for years in a matter of days.

“I’m _waiting_ ,” Jakarra tells them, giving them both an unimpressed look.

**Author's Note:**

> [My writing Tumblr](https://tenspencerriedplease.tumblr.com/)


End file.
